CHESHIRE'S town councils have come up with their own plan to re-organise local government in the county.

And if accepted by the body in charge of the process this could see Neston get back its own council.

If voters give the go-ahead to a North West regional assembly it will mean another reshaping of local government.

The present county council has proposed one all-purpose authority to cover Cheshire while the six district councils, including Ellesmere Port & Neston, have teamed up to promote a system of three large councils.

Now Cheshire's town and parish councils have come up with their own blueprint, which they say will bring decision-making closer to local communities than ever before.

The proposals, unveiled at the councils' annual meeting in Northwich, centre around a single unitary authority with strategic capabilities, but operating through local committees with the experience and expertise of the present county council.

The Boundary Committee, which is considering draft recommendations for the reorganisation in Cheshire, has asked for a detailed model for consideration.

The county's regional affairs director Ian Dunn told delegates: 'There is no point in Cheshire undergoing yet another expensive shake-up of local councils unless the end result is much better and will revitalise people's interest in local affairs.

'Our proposal would be cheaper for the taxpayer and would keep all the advantages of a unitary county. Services would not be disrupted and a strong Cheshire could hold its own in the North West against the competing claims of Manchester and Liverpool.'

The director revealed the proposals would see a new single council operating through at least 12 area committees across Cheshire representing areas of similar character and interest 'much more local than the district or borough councils'.

Added Mr Dunn: 'A fundamental element of the new plans would be to allow places such as Chester, Macclesfield, Crewe, Wilmslow, and Neston to have a council of their own, concentrating on the interests of those towns themselves.

'Such individual town councils were effectively extinguished when the large district councils were established in 1974.'